New investigation into conduct of Cheshire East officers

Cheshire East is refusing to say whether it involves other officers or whether it is new allegations against the bosses already under investigation

by Belinda Ryan

12:29, 6 Feb 2018

Cheshire East Council HQ in Sandbach

Cheshire East has launched another probe into the conduct of senior officers - but is refusing to say whether it involves other staff members or relates to new allegations made against the top bosses already under investigation.

The new investigation, which will begin on Thursday (February 8), only came to light because it is posted on the council’s online calendar of meetings as being in addition to the reconvened meeting of the investigation and disciplinary committee.

This ‘reconvened meeting’ relates to the original investigation into allegations about the conduct of the council’s most senior officers - chief executive Mike Suarez and chief operating officer Peter Bates.

That investigation began in April and is still ongoing. Both have been suspended by the council.

The council stressed their suspension is a neutral act taken in the interests of both the council and the officers.

The authority’s former head of legal services, Bill Norman, who was also under investigation and had also been suspended, resigned in December.

This week Cheshire East refused to elaborate on the new investigation.

A spokesman said: “The IDC (investigation and disciplinary committee) is meeting on February 8 to consider issues related to senior officer conduct. As the issues relate to staffing matters it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

Cheshire East has spent nearly half a million pounds so far investigating its own top officers and paying for replacements for those suspended on full pay.

The ongoing investigation is expected to have cost nearly three quarters of a million by the end of this April when it will have been running for a year.